I feel the need to blog...

This entry is totally random. I've decided that I need to blog more...just to get out what is on the inside. It's been a good day...and it's only 7:58 AM. I made a choice last night after Life Group (small group Bible study) that I was going to deny myself this week...(part of our lesson) and praise God...He was whispering that verse in my head as soon as my alarm went off this morning. I got up, went and worked out, came home, the girls are still sleeping, house is quiet....aaahhhh! Love it!

The last question at Life Group last night...was "how will you seek to imitate Christ this week?" My answer was to be completely focused on the mission He has called me to do and to push everything else aside that tries to get in the way of keeping me on track with the mission I have been called to....

So, what is my mission?

THAT ALL WOULD KNOW HIM!

How will I seek to accomplish that mission this week?

1. Be ready and prepared spiritually every day.

2. Look for opportunities to speak His name.

3. Deny myself and imitate Christ.

One thing that intrigues me about the life of Christ is that He was always about His Father's business. Everything else was small in light of Him accomplishing the task before Him, even rebuking His own disciples when they were keeping Him from doing what He had been called to do. So, what needs to be removed from my life in order that I might stay focused in pursuing what I have been asked to do??? That is what I will meditate on today.

Very Thought Provoking!

The Devil's Beatitudes
If the devil were to write his beatitudes, they would probably go something like this:
1. Blessed are those who are too tired or busy to spend an hour once a week with fellow Christians -- they are my best workers.
2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked -- I can use them.
3. Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church -- they are my missionaries.
4. Blessed are the trouble makers -- they shall be called my children.
5. Blessed are the complainers -- I'm all ears to them.
6. Blessed are those who are bored with the minister's mannerisms and mistakes, for they get nothing out of his sermons.
7. Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church - for he is a part of the problem instead of the solution.
8. Blessed are those who gossip, in the name of "being concerned" -- for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.
9. Blessed are those who are easily offended -- for they will soon get angry and quit.
10. Blessed are those who do not give their offering to carry on God's work -- for they are my helpers.
11. Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister -- for he shall be with me forever!
12. Blessed are you who, when you read this think it is about other people and not yourself -- I've got you, too!

When Fear and Faith Collide....

I have been wanting to write on here for over a week now, but due to our Internet being down at home, that has not been possible! Last Monday my fear and faith collided big time! I began to get head worms about this trip...asking myself what was I thinking in taking a month off of work...how's it all going to work out? I was in HUGE panic mode! Fear and faith colliding big time! God gently began to remind me....haven't I done this before? Have I not sent you again in 3 weeks time everything paid for? How BIG am I to you? How much do you trust me? I slowly began to calm down. And then that day He used so many people to provide financially for me. Reminding me once more that my faith in Him must stay the same no matter what my circumstances are. He confirmed over and over that this is His plan and He is going to take care of all the details in getting me there! He can be trusted! Praise Him....the journey continues!

Door of Opportunity Awaits....

Wow...life gets crazy sometimes. Today was a crazy day. In the midst of my "busyness" God has been speaking to me all day today and for once I am listening! All day today (really yesterday seeing as it is 1:50 in the am) I have been reminded of God's promise to me regarding a recent decision to start attending Gateway Church. How I knew I was supposed to change was God showing me in Deuteronomy 28 that when I obey Him, there is blessing, when I disobey...curses. I have to say the last 3 months have been nothing but blessings and open doors of opportunity! Praise God...He is Faithful! The doors of opportunity are so endless when you walk with Him!

My first door of opportunity was to co-lead a missions trip to Chilca, Peru with Gateway Church partnering with ChildReach Ministries. (if you want to read more about our trip in the entirety you can visit www.childreachminstries.org and go to the "Trip Updates" for June 7-14 Gateway Church/Livingstones Church.) What a door of opportunity this was for me. It was met with many fears and doubts that I could do it...but I couldn't do it, He did it through me! My joy came in seeing my teammates "get it"! Get what? A vision for the world, a love for people, and a deeper understanding of Who God is and how much He loves them! We even had one guy come to know Christ as His Savior on the trip!!!! WWOOOHOOOO!!! Angels rejoicing! It was such an incredible experience.

The last day of the trip, 2 of the ChildReach leaders approached me and were such a blessing to me. They both pointed out how they saw that Leading in Missions is a gift that God has given to me. Tears were welling up in my eyes as they were talking to me. Confirming over and over that I was in the right place and all that has been building in my life for the last many many years has been a work of Almighty God. I know that I have been called to live a life that is dedicated to helping others come to know Christ and to also lead people in gaining a bigger picture view of what this life is all about. I know that I have been called to mission work and that includes making Christ known wherever I am at whether it is Blue Springs, MO or the farthest corner of the earth where they have yet to hear the name of Jesus. I am called to GO! So to have these 2 men approach me and tell me that they had been watching my life all week and for them to recognize God's gifts in my life was HUGE! They began to offer several options to me to help me get involved deeper in missions and particularly with ChildReach. I have not made any decisions but am prayerfully seeking out what God has for me and am very excited about the opportunity that awaits!

I have also been asked to speak at several different engagements (2 churches and 1 benefit auction) regarding my experiences in missions and how God has personally worked in my life and in the lives of others regarding missions! WOW!!!!

And...the most recent and one opportunity that excites me so much...I have been asked to speak on my trip(s) to Zambia, Africa to an audience of children at my church's Vacation Bible School next week! I am so stoked about this one! To be able to share with children about God's work in another country is an awesome priveledge and blessing and...I choose to dream big...who knows...there may be future missionaries sitting in that audience...that makes my job HUGE...but then again...so is my God! He is so BIG!!! I am so excited to be in this place and I have this overwhelming peace that I am in the right place, I am living my dream and I am exactly where God wants me to be. The best way I can describe it is that I have found the path that has alligned me directly with His plan and His will.

Praise Him!

My mess for His Miracle....

The last couple of days I have had the blessing of hangin out with my dear friends, the Bonners, in Alabama...and it has been so refreshing! I'm yawning alot and I know it's not due to lack of sleep, but due to complete relaxation! Right now as I type this, I am holding a sleeping baby, all wrapped up in a chitenga, how fun is that....there is something about holding a sleeping baby...complete relaxation! He's so sweet! Last night we went to church and it was awesome! The music was so powerful, the people were so friendly and the message from the Word was convicting and challenging! At the end of the message the Pastor was asking us a number of questions but the one that stood out to me was..."Are you ready to trade your mess for His miracles?" That one statement brought victory to my heart. No matter what I am facing, when repentive, I can bring my mess to Him and trade it for His miracles. That is the beauty of the cross, the exchange of death for life. I want to live in the victory that my Savior gave when He conquered death and hell by His shed blood on the cross. Thanks be to God Who gives us the victory!

Gotta get our Visa's!

Each step of the journey is exciting and shows us how BIG our God is! Val and Robin applied for their Visa's Sunday, June 1. I had forgotten all the paperwork involved in getting a Visa, nevertheless, they were mailed off June 2 and we are awaiting the return! One step closer!!!

This journey is definitely one of faith. After arriving home from Peru yesterday, it is difficult to switch gears of one mission to another and I am completely overwhelmed that God allows me to be a part of His mission for the world! Someone asked me today if I loved Peru more than Zambia and I had to reply with..."I love the entire world!" I am humbled that I have been given such great opportunity to see the ends of the earth with my eyes. I was telling another friend that it is overwhelming to see the bigger picture for my life, and at the same time I want all my family and friends to experience the Bigger Picture that God has for their lives too. May we never settle for status quot...may we all strive to have ALL that He has for our lives! I don't want to miss out, do you?

I am thankful for this opportunity to go and serve in Zambia! And to think I get to go with my friends and sisters in Christ! How awesome is that!

Please pray for a quick return of Passports with Visas!!!!

Serving Him,

Amy Hayward

"Do you trust Me?"...

Being a Hairstylist can be intriguing at times and challenging. Coloring clients hair tends to be my favorite thing to do. I love to create and I love to think outside the box and create new colors by mixing colors together. The challenging part of being a hair colorist is trying to explain to the client how you are going to go about achieving the color that they have chosen. Most clients want to see swatches of color which are my least favorite. I hate swatches. Most of the time they pick a swatch and then have the expectation that that is the exact color that they will end up with! WRONG! Or they see one that I point out and hate it and then think that that is what their hair will look like when I am done...WRONG AGAIN! I tend to tell them to show me pictures of other people's hair color that they like and then work from there. However I always assess what the condition of their hair is, the final look that they want achieved and then I contemplate how to get there.

Alot of times I do what I did today...I ask, "Do you trust me?"...one client tonight was getting confused with all the questions I was asking her and finally just said..."you do what you think is best, I trust you completely." In the moment that she said that I was hit with a very powerful lesson...I love it when God does that! I was reminded of the battles I have been facing lately, questions of the direction of my life and where God is taking me....wondering what is ahead in my future...does He really know what I desire?...and in that moment, God says to me..."Amy, do you trust Me?"....uuhhh...yyeesss???...was my response at first. It hit me so hard. Just as I look at my client's hair, look at where she wants her hair to be...and then think the process through in my head of how to get there...step by step (I know the steps that will have to be taken even though I can't explain them to her, she wouldn't understand)...and then I ask her..."do you trust me?"

....same with my walk with Christ. God says clearly to me..."Amy, I understand your desires, I understand your questions, I know where your heart desires to be and I know how to get you there. It takes a step by step process and only I know each step you must take to bring you there. I do have your best interest at heart and although you can't understand My thinking and My ways...I do have what is best for you...but it comes down to one thing....Do you trust ME?"
Why is it so hard for me to trust the One Who sees from beginning to end of my life . He has the Big Picture view.

Makes me think of my first trip to Victoria Falls in Livingston, Zambia. I remember walking up to the portion of the falls that was behind our hotel and wow, I had never seen anything like it before. Amazing, powerful beauty. The Falls were so loud so striking, HUGE! The next day however, we took a helicopter ride over the Falls. ok, so what I had seen the previous day was huge, but to rise above the Falls and see the Whole picture...the entire Falls. What I had seen the first day was "1/2 inch of a whole foot" of the Entire Falls. Talk about getting a greater perspective on the bigger picture! What I had seen the first day of the Falls was Huge to me, but the Whole Falls was completely overwhelming. The lesson: I can only see what is right in front of my face when it comes to the big picture of my life. God sees the Beginning to End. (The Whole of Victoria Falls) In order to have understanding, I must rise above the view in front of me (get in the helicopter) and get His perspective on my life.

I must trust completely that He knows what the finished product will look like and although He can't explain the step by step details, He can be trusted!